Photo: Dapur Melodi

Do I need gravel under shed foundation?

Having the area beneath and around your shed free from vegetation will prevent the base of your shed becoming damp and prone to decay. Drainage – Having the stone beneath the shed will make it easy for any rain or ground water to quickly disperse.

secrets-of-shed-building.com - Why do you need gravel beneath a shed? - Secrets of shed building

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Gravel beneath my shed

by Luis

(OK, USA)

Do I really need stones or gravel under my shed, if I do why is that? Also, how can I keep spiders and bugs from sticking under my shed?

Shedman says:

Hi Luis,

It is a good idea to have stones/gravel under your shed for several reasons. Rats – Having a layer of stone beneath the shed discourages rats as it makes it difficult to build a nest/burrow (see more below). Weeds – Installing a layer of weed suppressant fabric with a 4-6 inch layer of stone on top will discourage vegetation growth. Having the area beneath and around your shed free from vegetation will prevent the base of your shed becoming damp and prone to decay. Drainage – Having the stone beneath the shed will make it easy for any rain or ground water to quickly disperse. It also pays to make sure that there is a slight fall on the base of the excavation and that there is somewhere for the water to escape at the lowest corner. This will mean that water the water can escape and does not ‘pond’ beneath the shed. Damp – Having a layer of stone beneath the shed will enable water to quickly soakaway into the ground. Just to summarise, it is not mission critical if you don’t put that layer of stone beneath your shed but you may experience problems with the above if you don’t. It depends a bit on the type of shed that you have in mind. Finally, I can’t really help you much with the bugs and spiders. ;-) Just joking, you could fit a layer of plywood beneath the shed to minimise spaces where insects could enter and the underside of the shed would be flush too. However, spiders and sheds go together like peaches and cream. You don’t often get one without the other.

All the best

John

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What is the best way to level a shed?

You can do this by plotting the area of your shed with wooden stakes and removing the topsoil from the area with a shovel. Make sure the subsoil is level and add the topsoil back in. Fill the rest of the hole with pea gravel and place your blocks and wooden posts on top of the pea gravel.

wikihow.com - How to Level the Ground for a Shed (with Pictures) - wikiHow

This article was co-authored by Benjamin Hansen . Benjamin Hansen is a Landscape Contractor and the Owner of Artscape Gardens, a boutique landscaping company in Los Angeles, California. With over 12 years of experience, Benjamin specializes in transforming properties into aesthetic, functional, and drought-tolerant oases. Benjamin uses color scheme, dimension, and water conscious spaces to inspire the design and installation of soft scape, hardscape, patios, pathways, irrigation, drainage, fencing, concrete, lighting, and electrical work. Artscape Gardens covers all areas of the C-27 landscape contractor classification. This article has been viewed 96,411 times.

Article Summary

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It's important that the ground you're putting a shed on is level, or you could run into problems down the road. Fortunately, you can level an area within a few hours using the right tools. You'll need 4 by 4-inch posts, pea gravel, mason blocks, and topsoil. Once you have all your materials, you'll need to dig a hole the size of your shed, level it with a plank and spirit level, and fill it in with the topsoil and pea gravel. After that, just build a foundation on the level surface using the mason blocks and the 4 by 4-inch posts. The floor of your shed can go right on top of that foundation. To learn how to calculate what size posts and how many mason blocks you'll need, read on!

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